1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an apparatus for the penetration of body tissue. More particularly, the present invention relates to an optical obturator having an opaque distal end that includes one or more openings to facilitate the viewing of tissue.
2. Background of Related Art
In endoscopic and laparoscopic procedures, surgery is performed in any hollow viscus of the body through narrow tubes or cannulas inserted percutaneously through a small incision or access point in the skin. Generally, in such procedures, the surgical region is first insufflated. Thereafter, a surgical access assembly, such as a cannula or trocar assembly, is typically used to create the incision or access point by advancing a surgical instrument through the skin. Such instruments may include an obturator, stylet, or trocar, and will collectively be referred to as obturators throughout the present disclosure. An example of a known obturator may be seen in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 6,319,266 to Stellon, which issued Nov. 21, 2001, the contents of which are incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
Endoscopic, and in particular, laparoscopic procedures, often require a clinician to act on organs, tissues or vessels that are far removed from the incision or access point that may be difficult to see, e.g. due to the location of the organ, tissue, or vessel, the presence of blood or other fluids, or the crowded nature of the surgical workspace. Consequently, many known surgical access assemblies are employed blindly. Accordingly, there exists a need in the art for an obturator which facilitates the viewing of the underlying workspace therethrough.